The film series builds toward the print release of C&K‘s June 2013 issue, in which a feature story chronicles the story of a group of college friends paddling the Colorado River from its headwaters down in back-to-back, historic high- and low-water years. Powell to Powell documents the crew’s 2012 expedition starting from the source of the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park, navigating endless diversions and dams, to its “terminus” at the Glen Canyon Dam.

Punctuated by a series of interviews along the way with water experts of all kinds ranging from farmers, ranchers, politicians and environmental non-profits, the series seeks to spread understanding of the ecological issues and threats facing a used and abused river drainage at risk. The first episode looks at the upper river’s slew of problems stemming from trans-basin diversions. The next episodes move with the crew’s downriver journey from packrafts at the headwaters, to whitewater boats through the raging Class V gauntlet of Gore Canyon, to lazy canyon floats, to the final push across Lake Powell in a unique solar-powered raft.

For more information check out downthecolorado.org and stateoftherockies.com.NEXT UP:
April 30: episode 2 "Profit and Play" which explores recreation.
May 7: episode 3 "The Desert Blooms" which looks at the booming fracking industry and agriculture.
May 14: episode 4 "Confluence" which ponders solutions to the Colorado's myriad problems.
May 24: episode 5 "A New Way Downstream" which shows the solar-powered voyage across Lake Powell.